From time to time I visit the Ontario MNR website. Part looking for some blog material and part to see how our tax and fishing/hunting license money is being spent. There is a delay in the release of the 2007 fishing regulations as the MNR is taking some extra time to go over their material and its effectiveness.
That is ok by me. Currently, the MNR is asking anglers to follow last years regulations. One of the requests for the proposed new regulations was to keep things simple. Surprisingly, they may have done it through one of their kid’s pages (from this page on their website) listed below.
Sport Fishing Licences
If you live in Ontario, you must have a fishing licence to fish unless you are:
- under 18
- disabled
- a status Indian fishing on your own reserve, or where treaties allow
You must carry the licence when fishing.
Fish Sanctuaries
There are special places set aside, called “fish sanctuaries”, where no fishing is allowed. These places are listed in the Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary . Have an adult help you look up sanctuary locations for the area in which you plan to fish, or call the Ministry of Natural Resources office that serves that area
Fishing Seasons
Some fishes can only be caught during part of the year. Each area of Ontario has its own seasons for each kind of fish, and one stream or lake may be different from another. A book of rules “The Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary” (updated each year) tells you these things
How Many Fish?
For some fishes, you can catch and keep as many as you want. For other fishes, you can catch and keep just so many each day that you fish. The number for each fish is different in different parts of Ontario. See the Map Specific Regulations for more details.
Size Limits
For some fish species, you can only keep fish that are longer, or sometimes shorter, than the size limit. The size for each fish may be different in different parts of Ontario. See the Map Specific Regulations for more details.
Telling What You Have
Unless you are fixing fish to be eaten right away, you have to keep some of your fish so that a Conservation Officer can tell what kind they are (leave a patch of skin on), how big they are (if there is a size limit for that species), and how many you have (put only one fish or 2 fillets in each package).
Fishing Gear
There are some limits on how you fish, and some ways of fishing are not allowed at all.
- You can only use one line when sport fishing in open water. **note exception
- A fishing line must not have more than four hooks on it. In some areas, only barbless hooks are allowed.
- A fish must be hooked in the mouth, and not snagged in some other part of the body. You must let snagged fish go.
- You cannot use lights unless they are part of a fishing lure.
Bait Fish
There are some limits on how you use bait fish:
- Anyone with a fishing licence can catch bait fish for their own use. There are some limits on how many (no more than 120 fish) and the size of the nets or traps used to catch them.
- Bait fish can only be let go into the lake or stream where they were caught.
- Bait fish (and other types of live or dead bait) cannot be used in some places.
